EUROPE is lagging behind China and the US in space and defence technology developments and must “get its act together” to keep up, a senior industry figure has warned.

Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space said China’s recent lunar success with its mission to the dark side of the moon came as no real surprise. He said: “The space agency is huge — they have more than 3,000 employees and they invest into all kinds of new technologies. They are definitely moving very fast.”